Every once in a while, a television program comes along that is so very special that it becomes a national talking point, an emotional tear-jerker that is reflected in winning ratings. Such a program is YINDI The Last Koala? a one hour docu-drama that follows the life of a most extraordinary koala, Yindi. Recorded over the period of 12-months by a series of film crews along Eastern Australia, we first meet a hairless baby Yindi suckling its mother's teat in the pouch. There follows a car accident, which so injures the mother that a still-minute and hairless Yindi is thrown clear, and has to be hand reared. Never before has such a fascinating event been recorded on film. Yindi and mother are finally re-united, where we follow all of their wild activities, from loud and vicious fighting through to amorous love making. Gripping moments as a now hair-covered Yindi emerges from the pouch and begins to explore the outside world for the first time. Throughout this very moving special, the growth and development of Yindi is recorded, leading to his final release into the wild. Along the way, we see the other big koala killers, such as dog attacks, the effect of expanding housing developments, and the disease of chlamydia. While viewers are led to a very definite conclusion about the future of the koala, the subject is handled in such a way as to leave us feeling that there is hope that Yindi and his kin can survive in the Australian bush.

• published: 16 Jan 2014
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